Untitled
by IcyInuYoukai
Summary: Rouge comes to Knuckles beaten and bruised and is left in his care. What is he going to do? And...what happened to her? Mainly KnuxRouge. R&R NO FLAMES!
1. Chapter 1

**Untitled**

Knuckles lay resting near the Master Emerald, boredom beginning to set in. This usually happened: he'd sit and wait for something to come to mind, or a certain white bat would come and make her 'unwelcome' appearance.

Usually, Rouge would come once every two weeks, but she hadn't shown up in,

"Almost one month." Knuckles sighed, sitting up and leaning his back against the one of the cool stone pillars of the shrine. Thought he would never admit it, Knuckles was really hoping Rouge would show up to try and steal the Master Emerald. He would never allow her to actually take it of course, but when she came by it at least gave him something to do. Not a soul had been to the island in a month.

"Yep…Knuckles…your life is dull." The echidna said to himself. Then he lay back down, placing his hands behind his head.

A light breeze blew gently across the island. Tranquility is what you could say to describe the giant, floating Angel Island. But, tranquility isn't exactly exciting. Knuckles sighed, almost groaned, and rolled over onto his stomach, resting his chin on top of his hands.

"Yep…duller then dull…"

Suddenly, Knuckles picked up a very faint rustling from one of the trees near by. Something, or someone, had landed in the tree. With a great deal of interest sparkling in his indigo eyes, Knuckles jumped up and dropped down into a low fighting stance, ready for the intruder. Soon…a few moments went by and nothing happened. A few more moments and still nothing happened. Finally, an hour past and Knuckles was losing his patients. He picked up a small, smooth stone and hurled it into the tree with a snarl.

"SMACK!"

Knuckles pumped his fist into the air in triumph for hitting the targeted victim. The familiar beating of wings was heard, causing him to smirk as he saw Rouge arise from her hiding spot. However, that smirk was quickly flipped upside down as Rouge's wings seemed to give way and she began to descend rather rapidly towards the forest floor.

"Shit!" Without hesitation, Knuckles jetted forward and managed to catch the fallen batgirl before she met the ground. His eyes, filled with confusion, scanned over her apparently beaten body. Bruises and cuts were everywhere and it looked like her left arm was broken. Even her wings had small cuts and were very limp. The black suit she wore had also been torn in a few places.

"What happened to you, Rouge?" asked the bewildered Knuckles. All he did was throw a rock, so he wasn't expecting to get a sliced up body.

Rouge's ears drooped back in attempts to pin them back in annoyance. "You…you just had to throw that rock…didn't you…Knucklehead?" she asked in a very tired and strained voice.

"Well if you hadn't been hiding in - THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" he shouted. "You're injured and I want to know what happened to you…you…" Knuckles voice trailed off as Rouge had turned her head and nuzzled his chest. A very light blush began to appear on his face as he tried desperately to complete his request. "Wh…what…h-happened to you?" Was all he managed to say clearly.

Looking up at the fluster echidna, Rouge smirked as best she could and said, "My…aren't we the shy one…to…day…" her voice faded as she slipped out of consciousness.

"Rouge…Rouge?" He shook her lightly, only proving to himself that she was unconscious. Looking around frantically, Knuckles began to wonder what to do with her. '_I can't keep her here. She needs help, and fast…'_

So…Knuckles did the only thing that he could do.

"Knuckles…what the heck did you do to Rouge?" Sonic asked as Knuckles barged in and placed the battered batgirl on the couch. He had taken Rouge to Sonic's _current _apartment. (A/N: I say current because he's apparently always moving around and never in one place for very long) Knuckles growled and whirled around to land a punch on his hedgehog friend. But, as usual, Sonic wasn't even in the same place anymore.

"Jeez, she's really banged up." Sonic said, looking at Rouge from where he now stood. " I know you two fight a lot, but don't you think you went a little far?"

"I didn't do this to her!" Knuckles shouted in defense. "She came to Angel Island like this and passed out before I could even ask her about it." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away to pout.

"Well…what do you think happened? I mean, you know her better than anyone, so do you should at least have some sort of guess." Sonic said.

Deciding not to say anything about knowing her, Knuckles replied, "I haven't got the slightest clue. I know she gets into a lot of trouble here and there, but she usually can handle it. It's not like her to do something that could actually risk her life. Or risk a fight even. She's not one to do a lot of _extra _work."

Both of them now stood in silence, pondering over what might have happened. They both know her capability to defend herself. So…what could've gotten Rouge to this condition was beyond them.

Soon the door opened and in came Tails, Cream, and Amy. Amy carried with her a first aid kit.

"We came as fast as we could, Sonic." Amy said.

"And we brought the first aid kit like you asked!" Cream added happily.

"You don't have a first aid kit?" Knuckles asked, his irritation with the blue hedgehog growing by the minute.

Sonic laughed nervously and said very carefully, "I rarely hurt myself and I'm always on the move so…it would be pointless."

Knuckles gave off an exasperated sigh and took the kit from Amy.

'_Oh…my head…where am I? The last thing I remember is…Knuckles? But…why…Oh! That's right! The stupid Knucklehead threw a rock at me! No wonder my head hurts!'_

Forcing her eyes to open, Rouge noticed she wasn't at Angel Island anymore. It wasn't even daytime anymore. Now it was nighttime and she was in some weird apartment. She turned her head slightly and was met with the sight of the slumbering Knuckles. He had fallen asleep after treating her wounds and was now resting his head on the same arm of the couch that her head was resting on.

When Rouge went to sit up, a sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to lye back down and growl in frustration. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was being weak.

"Oh good, you're awake." Came a sleepy voice. She turned to realize it was the red echidna. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Where am I?" Rouge asked her voice still very strained. She began to cough, causing the echidna to become fully awake and alert.

"We're at Sonic's apartment. Amazingly. I didn't think he still lived here, judging by how often he moves." Knuckles replied after she was done coughing.

Rouge brought her arm that wasn't in a splint up to her head and said, "GOD, my head is killing me!"

Sheepishly, Knuckles said, "Umm…about that. I didn't mean for the rock to hit you."

"Well then your aim is too good for your own good. You landed it squarely on my forehead." Rouge said.

Knuckles looked to the floor. "Sorry…" Rouge's eyes opened wide and she looked at him with her mouth a gape. Knuckles sensed that she was staring at him and turned away.

Taking his actions as very obvious signs of embarrassment Rouge decided to take the opportunity to fluster him up a bit. "What did you just say…? Did you, the high and mighty Knuckles, just apologize to little ol' me? Oh, be still my heart." She joked and pretended to swoon as best she could from her place on the couch.

Knuckles clenched his fists at his sides and was very close to yelling something in return, but the lights turned on. Sonic then entered, rubbing his eyes.

"Well…it's nice to see you two getting along." He said, sarcastically. "But if you must…could you do it a little bit quieter, please?" Sonic then looked at Rouge. Sudden realization hit him and he exclaimed, "ROUGE! You're awake!"

"What? Rouge woke up?" Came three voices from the spare bedroom of the apartment. Tails, Cream, and Amy ran out of the room and into the living room to see.

"We were really worried about you, Ms. Rouge." Cream said.

"Chi!" the little blue Chao said in agreement.

"Yeah. For awhile we weren't sure you were gonna wake up at all." Tails said.

"But now that you have…we're just glad to see that you're okay." Amy added.

"Yep. But none of us were anywhere near the amount of worry that Knucklehead over here was giving off." Sonic said, elbowing the now very flustered echidna that was making a move to strangle Sonic.

Rouge was sort of overwhelmed with all the sudden kindness she was being offered here. "Well, thanks for your concern, I think…" Everyone now just stared at Rouge expectantly. "What?"

Amy quickly said, "So…what happened to you?"

Rouge sighed and closed her eyes to calm the now arising headache. "Well…I guess there's no avoiding it now. Take a seat kids, this is a long story."

Authors Note:

Right…I suppose some of you maybe wondering why I suddenly am making this Sonic story. Well…I've almost lost all interest and/or desire to continue my other stories. I will, don't worry, but it may take a long while.

REVIEW IF YOU WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER UP!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Silently and stealthily she sneaks…Rouge the bat. Looking down into the giant museum from the window she currently stood upon, she located her target. Quickly pulling out her 'laser pen', she aimed it at the glass and fired. With a silent sizzle, the glass melted and she made her way through the new circular entrance. Luckily for her, there was no need for ropes and pulleys. Her pitch-black wings did all the work that would require those supplies, and she swooped down to the center of the room where her newest treasure sat.

Glistening within its glass display, lay two large rubies that had been skillfully carved into shuriken. Above those two, however, was Rouge's target. Very similar to the two rubies, there was also a much larger diamond shuriken.

Rouge's eyes sparkled as she registered the precise moves she would have to make to extract the shuriken. Carefully she used the laser pen again and then aimed it at the infrared sensors within the display case. A small spark was all it took to take out the sensors, and that was okay with Rouge. She reached in and grasped the large shuriken and hefted out of the case.

"Nothing's too difficult for this girl to get her hands on," she said under her breath as she put the shuriken into her pack. As she turned to leave, her eyes glanced at the two remaining shuriken. Rouge looked at them more intently now. _'I wonder…should I…' _Without a second thought, Rouge turned to the case and reached for the rubies.

"ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! INTRUDER! INTRUDER! ALERT! ALERT!"

Rouge cringed as the alarm system screamed of her presence. Cursing in a whisper, she grabbed the rubies and took to the ceiling window she had entered into. As she sped up her pace, she noticed a dark figure in her way.

"Move it pal!" she shouted as the figure jumped through the entrance and plummeted towards her. Wings very similar to hers carried the stranger. Without a reply, the stranger tackled Rouge to the ground.

Rouge groaned and quickly made a move to swipe at the attacker, but he had already flown up and was swooping down for a second attack. She smirked and reached for one of the ruby shuriken. As the attacker approached, Rouge made a loud battle cry and hurled it at him with all her might.

Direct hit! She managed to slice into the stranger's left wing. With a cry, the attacker wavered in the air as his wing gave way and he then crashed to the ground. Taking the opportunity, Rouge flew up and aimed her high-heeled feet at the attackers back, intending to either paralyze or kill him. As Rouge made her rapid descent, the attacker suddenly rolled out of the way, causing her to smash her feet into the marble floor. Chunks of floor and dust rose up and flew everywhere. Rouge was now stuck in the ground.

'_Dammit! I knew I shouldn't have bought these steel sole boots!'_ she thought as she struggled to get out of the boots. She growled when she heard the attacker chuckle.

"You still have a lot to learn, daughter."

Rouge's ears perked up and swiveled towards the attacker. Her fur bristled and she looked in his direction. Her eyes met with harsh and rather angry emerald shaded eyes.

The bat standing before her was indeed her father. His dark auburn fur was also bristled and his large ears were pinned back in disgust. His attire was very similar to Rouge's, minus the heart on the chest…but it was black and nearly skin-tight. He did not wear boots like she did either, but the legs of his suit were stretched over his feet. A long black headband was tied around his forehead and flowed behind his head. Rouge winced when she looked at his remaining wing that had not been damaged. It was by far superior in strength than her delicate wings. Even the slashed wing managed to remain upheld in a rather normal manner.

Rouge smiled nervously and greeted her father. "Pops! Long time no see."

"Don't give that, you little shit!" the male bat spat out, causing Rouge to flinch and struggle even harder against the bonds she had created herself. "You just slashed my wing! Now how am I going to get out of here!"

Rouge rolled her eyes and said, "You were asking for it! Attacking me like that…you're lucky I didn't aim for your throat…"

She was suddenly cut off by a hard punch in the face from her father. "When did you learn to back-sass me?" He shouted and landed another good punch to the other side of her head.

Growling, Rouge shouted, "What the hell are you doing here? This is my territory! You aren't allowed to steal from here!"

He father growled louder than she and kicked her in the stomach, making her double over and clutch her now aching gut. "I will do as I please, wench! You are not to tell me what I can and cannot do!" Rouge wheezed and choked back a pained cry that threatened her lips.

Loud gunshots were heard from outside and Rouge jumped at the sound. Her father simply grinned and reached for Rouges pack. Rouge was aware of this and pulled it underneath her still heaving body only to receive another kick to her stomach. Now Rouge was unable to move very well and couldn't bring the pack back under her.

"About time you got the jewels darling." A velvety feminine voice said from above.

Rouge's eyes snapped open as she gasped and realized who had accompanied her father. "Mom!" Rouge said with a raspy squeak.

The female bat glided down and landed beside her mate, greeting him with a peck on the cheek. "That's right, dear. Did you think I'd let this hunk of a man leave my sights for a millisecond? Especially if he was out on an operation like this?"

If anyone who knew Rouge had been there, they may not have been able to tell the difference between her and her mother. The only distinct differences were the height and the length of the wings. If looked at a little closer, Rouge's mother's hair was much longer and her fur was a lighter brown on her muzzle. Other wise…the similarities between the two were almost disturbing.

Struggling to regain her ground, Rouge finally managed to stand and ignore the splitting pain in her gut. Her mother looked at her, puzzled.

"Garnet…baby…I thought I told you to go easy on the little bitch?" she asked, cocking her head to the side innocently.

"Well I would have if she hadn't whipped one of the prizes at me." Garnet scoffed as he motioned to his left wing. "Trust me, Crystal, I would have been out of here already if the little wretch hadn't even been here."

Crystal sighed and then turned to her daughter. She grabbed Rouge's chin and turned her to look her directly in the eye. "You best stay here and wait for the cops to come pick you up. That is if there are any left. I most likely took care of them. But if you so much as take a single step in our direction, we will not hold back."

Then she thrust Rouge away from her, causing Rouge to crash down hard on her left arm. Rouge cried out when she heard a sickly crack from her arm.

"Come on, darling." Crystal said, walking past her mate and dragging a hand across his chest. "I'll carry you home."

Rouge forced herself to her feet and reached into her chest, pulling out the remaining ruby shuriken. As her mother took off, hauling her father, she quickly and carefully calculated the distance they were from her. Then with her last bit of strength the whipped the ruby at her fathers arms. Unfortunately, she had miscalculated and only managed to knock into the wall right next to them. Her father growled loudly and wrenched himself free of Crystal's hold and glided as best he could straight for Rouge. She was unable to move away from him and was once again tackled to the ground.

Her feet were finally freed from the ground, but now she had to deal with the infuriated Garnet. His emerald eyes practically screamed 'no mercy' as he pummeled the young white bat beneath him with his fists. When there was a slow in his pace, Rouge managed to kick him in the groin. Due to the unexpected move, Garnet doubled over and fell to the side. Rouge desperately flew up and towards the exit. Crystal went to go after her, but there was a groan from Garnet that made her hesitate.

Rouge didn't look back as she feebly flew out of and away from the museum. Her wings were already growing tired, and she hadn't even made it out of the city. Looking around desperately, her eyes landed on the giant floating island. Her vision immediately began to blur as she turned towards Angel Island.

"You won't get away that easily you little bitch!" A call from far behind her called. It was Crystal. "I'll find you! And when I do…"

Rouge didn't hear the rest. She had flown to far to hear anymore. Her wings could barely flap anymore and she had to stop several times to rest. Morning was beginning to break through the clouds when she finally managed to get within landing range of Angel Island. When she landed in a tree it had to have been around noon. Rouge, unable to go any further, could no longer hold back the need to sleep.

However, the red echidna had caught on to her hiding and threw the rock…and you know the rest of the story from there.

-End of Rouge's Flashback-

When Rouge finished her story, everyone looked beyond shocked.

Cream was the first one to speak up. "I-I don't understand, Ms. Rouge. Why would your mother and father hurt you like this?"

"Yeah…it doesn't sound very, 'parent-like' to me." Amy said.

Rouge sighed and put a gentle hand on the small rabbit's head. "You see, parenting with my entire race isn't like yours. Once a child leaves the family, then you are no longer their child. You leaving is like you're basically deciding you're out on your own. They will no longer help you or take care of you, in anyway what so ever."

"But that doesn't explain why they attacked you, Rouge." Sonic said, his foot beginning to thump impatiently.

Rouge sighed exasperatingly. "If someone is in the way of something you want, do you normally go easy on them or do you go all out to get what you want? In the case of my parents, when it comes to thievery, they have no mercy. I am not their child anymore. Therefore, I am another enemy or rival or whatever else you want to call it."

Soon everyone slowly began to understand, everyone except for Cream and Amy. How could a parent ever put their offspring in such a horrible condition? Knuckles growled suddenly, making everyone jump. Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"What's wrong Knuckles?" Sonic asked.

"Someone is tampering with the Master Emerald! I have to go!" He ran for the door and took off out to his island. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done!" He called.

**Author's Note:**

Okies…I don't know why it took me so long to update and I apologize. I tried to write a Valentine's Day fic…but that didn't turn out too well.

**REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sonic&Co. I do own Rouge's parents though! They are my own characters! –grins-

Also…note that there will be characters from the video game, Sonic Riders. Just to let you know…they aren't mine either.

**Chapter 3**

Knuckles arrived on his island in no time at all. The moment he landed, the intense calling of the Master Emerald ascended dramatically, causing the red hero to grip his head and fall to his knees.

'_Something is very wrong here…it's never been this strong before…_' he thought as he regained his footing. Knowing immediately which way to go, Knuckles took off towards the shrine.

The massive trees of the island were becoming rather bothersome and Knuckles is not one for patience. With a mighty roar, he thrust his powerful fists forward and pummeled through each and every tree that happened to be in his way. Crash after crash echoed throughout the forest as he continued on to the shrine. Soon, he made it to the stairway and began his climb. His pace was slowing down as the calling in his mind increased, but he pushed his legs to there limit and moved quickly up the stairs. About halfway up, Knuckles missed a step and slipped, bashing his chin and nose on the stone stairs beneath him. He lay there for a while, rubbing his nose free of the blood the fall had caused. Then he picked himself up and ran as fast as he could. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Knuckles made it to the top.

The one messing with the Emerald had already removed it from its altar and was getting ready to take flight. Knuckles growled, his mind registering the pitch-black wings and white fur as Rouge. As he ran after her, his eyes focused and he realized that it wasn't Rouge. This bat fit the description of Rouge's mother, Crystal. He stopped in his tracks and gasped.

The gasp caused the bat to turn and jump in slight surprise. She had no idea that there were others on the island. She visibly relaxed, however, as she noticed the bewildered appearance of the red echidna. Crystal took a step towards Knuckles, who stepped back slightly, but then retook his step forward and shouted,

"THAT EMERALD IS MINE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO STEAL IT FROM ITS PLACE HERE! RETURN THE EMERALD AND LEAVE!"

Shocked by his sudden aggression, Crystal replied, "Well, well, well. Don't we have a loudmouth? That's no way to speak to a lady." She took another step forward, taking in the echidna's growing diffidence with every move she made. "You don't have the confidence to take me on. I can see it in your stance. No, it's not _confidence_. You're way too much of a gentleman to fight a woman."

Knuckles was taken aback by her perception. '_How can she assume that from just looking at me?_'

"I've had experience with all sorts of men, boy." She said as though she had read his mind. "You're the kind whose shyness is what holds them back from going anywhere with women. I'll bet you're still a virgin, aren't you?"

Knuckles' face burned bright red and he clenched his fists. "GET OFF MY ISLAND!" he screamed, desperately trying to hide his embarrassment.

Crystal smirked. She was winning this battle of wits. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, boy. You are just a late bloomer, that's all." She said and started to laugh.

"LEAVE! NOW!" he shouted. Knuckles wasn't going to sit here and let this bat make fun of him. Finally managing to get his feet to move, he lunged at Crystal, tackling her to the ground.

The move was unexpected and hit Crystal hard. She struggled to free herself from his grip, but his strength greatly over powered her own. He had her pinned to the ground, his hand in a tight fist and ready to pummel into her face. His fist sailed through the air. Crystal cringed, awaiting pain from the blow. She screamed as the blow made contact, but surprisingly, the blow didn't hit her. At the last minute, Knuckles had changed his fist's course and punched the ground just millimeters away from her head. Contact from the hit caused the ground to crumble and fall in, creating a small crater around them.

Crystal remained stunned on the ground as Knuckles stood up and dusted himself off. He then walked over to the Master Emerald and hefted it over his head. Without saying a word to Crystal, he went back to the altar and placed the Emerald back in its rightful place. After a sigh of relief, Knuckles then returned to the bat who was still lying on the ground.

"No one makes off with _my_ Emerald. No one _tries_ to make off with my Emerald." Knuckles stated, grabbing Crystal's wrist and forcing her to her feet. He grabbed her shoulders roughly and asked, "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?" Crystal nodded slowly. "Good. Now LEAVE!" Knuckles demanded, shoving Crystal to the ground. She squeaked and scrambled away, got to her feet and flew off.

Knuckles watched as Crystal flew off, making sure she didn't turn back with the intent of returning. When it was pretty obvious that she wasn't coming back, Knuckles sank to the ground, holding his fist he had thrust into the ground in pain. Several bones in his hand had been shattered from the strike to the ground. It had already been damaged from busting through the enormous trees of the forest, so the ground hit only made it worse.

As he stared off into the sky, he suddenly sensed another presence. His body tensed and he slowly stood back up, still clutching his injured hand. The other person there with him was making no attempt to hide himself any longer. Knuckles could hear every unstable step that was being made and was starting to feel a powerful desire to just rush through the woods like a battering ram as he did earlier. But he withheld from doing so.

"Come and find me, boy." Said the other being from the woods. There was a harsh and heavy cough afterwards.

Then a terrifying screech pierced through the air. Knuckles felt a deep shudder through his entire body and suddenly couldn't move.

"Actually, I think I'll come to you."

Then, from the forest emerged the rather beaten form of Rouge's father, Garnet. His wing that had been previously injured hung limply, seeming completely useless. Knuckles tried to move, but his body seemed to have been paralyzed. All he could do was growl and grunt, making it obvious to Garnet that he was immobile.

"You won't be able to move for quite some time. I've paralyzed you." Knuckles growled louder. Garnet shrugged and continued, "I don't think I'm under any obligation to explain how I've paralyzed you, so you may as well stop your feeble growls and sit, or should I say _stand_, there in silence like a good little boy. I've come to take what my mate had failed to." With that, Garnet turned and made his way to the altar of the Master Emerald.

Knuckles snarled as best he could in his paralyzed state and tried to move. His body didn't seem to be responding to any of the commands his brain was giving.

'_Shit. Shit! SHIT! Why can't I move! Move damn it! MOVE! I need to get to the Emerald!_' He thought desperately.

Then, a loud thud was heard from the altar. Knuckles grunted as he tried to turn and see what was happening. As he made more distressed sounds, Garnet suddenly came sailing through the air past him, as though he had been thrown. There would have been a sigh of relief from the echidna, but Garnet came flying back at a greater speed and returned to the altar.

'_What the hell is going on!_' Knuckles tried his utmost hardest to break free of whatever was holding him, but still couldn't move a muscle.

"Get back here with that! That gem belongs to me!" Came the voice of Garnet.

"Oh, I don't think so, pal!" a voice said in response, followed by a cackle of laughter.

'_Wait…I know that voice!_' Knuckles thought.

"You don't have any idea who you're dealing with, do you, little birdie?" Garnet said, as he spread his wings to take flight after the thief. He gave a slight grunt due to the pain in his injured wing.

"You're the one who doesn't know who he's dealing with." The voice said.

"Jet! We need to get moving! NOW!" another, more feminine voice shouted.

"Relax, Wave. There's no way that old bat could do anything to…"

Garnet then appeared right before Jet and roundhouse kicked him squarely in the beak. Jet, in a daze, began to descend rapidly to the ground.

There was a softer thud, followed by a very loud thud. Jet had fallen and so had the Master Emerald. Knuckles knew he had to move, and soon! There were two, maybe three thieves here after his emerald.

'_DAMMIT! MOVE!_' was Knuckles' only thought, but he still could get no reaction from his muscles.

"Jet! Get up or he'll get the gem!" Wave cried as she swooped down at Garnet who was making his way towards the Master Emerald.

Jet lay on the ground, his head spinning from the collision. Wave's demand did not reach him, but he stood and wobbled over to the emerald. Garnet turned and saw the hawk reach the Master Emerald.

Wave took this opportunity to strike and aimed a kick straight for the back of the bat's head. Holding her breath, she jetted forward and landed the blow directly on it's target. Garnet fell to the ground, unconscious. After a short outburst of victory, the purple swallow ran to her woozy companion who had been leaning on the Master Emerald for support.

"Wave…I don't think I can fly…" Jet said warily. He pushed off of the emerald and ended up landing on his face.

"Oh, come on Jet!" she replied in frustration, picking him up and leaning him against the emerald again. "You've taken hits _way_ more powerful than anything that old man could dish out! Now, get up! We have to go."

Jet growled and thrust a feathered finger at his friend. "Hey! _You_ take a kick squarely to the beak from that guy, _while in flight_, and tell me how it feels!" he shouted angrily.

"Don't yell at me, pea-brain! I wasn't the one who was getting cocky!" Wave said, pushing his hand away from her face. She walked to the other side of the emerald and proceeded to heave on the enormous gem.

Jet simply laughed at her feeble attempts. He whistled and as soon as he was done, a shadow soared overhead. A large grey bird made a rather clumsy landing before the green hawk and with a salute said, "Ya call me, Boss?"

With a motion towards the purple swallow, Jet replied, "Help Wave carry this gem to our lair, would you Storm?"

"Right away!"

Storm waddled to the gem and easily hefted it over his head. Wave had been holding onto it and was tossed to the area where the still paralyzed Knuckles stood. She sat up, grumbling something about the stupidity of the big oaf, Storm, when she suddenly gasped and backed up when she saw Knuckles standing before her.

'_Oh man! If she finds out I can't move, they'll definitely run off with the Master!_' Knuckles thought. Desperately tried to move, but only managed to make more noises. '_Well…this is officially hopeless. What am I going to do?_'

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the extremely long wait for this chapter. Thank you for your patients and for the reviews!


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